Virtual experience

Online Experience

Forest Bathe in Kyoto's Sacred Mountain ​

Most tourists visit Fushimi Inari Shrine for the thousand torii gates, but rarely do they delve deeper into the shrine’s history and tradition. Learn about Shinto rituals and how forest bathing is done at one of Kyoto’s oldest shrines (founded 1,300 years ago!)

Japanese Mindfulness

75 Minutes

Hosted in English

What You Will Experience

We have recorded high-quality video that will make it seem that you are really at one with the forest at Fushimi Inari. We will visit shrines for various gods to learn what Shinto gods are like, witness the rituals used to appeal to them, and see two ways that people have tried to speak to the gods here. I will be narrating live throughout and you can ask questions anytime.

We will look at 4 ways people meditate here at Fushimi Inari, and you’ll learn to how do breath meditation at a sacred waterfall in a secret part of the shrine that tourists normally miss out on. We will sit together for just a couple of minutes so if you’re new to meditation this is a perfect way to get started. Once you’ve been on this you’ll be able to practice forest bathing wherever you are.

■ This is an interactive experience with quizzes and activities that families, schools, and corporate teams will love for birthdays, anniversaries, and team-building activities. Groups of educators, psychologists, and teams from IBM, Spotify, and Dell have forest bathed with me. Join them in learning surprising things about Japan’s gods and forests.

Availability

Contact us for dates and times not listed, or if you want to book for a larger group.

How to Make a Booking

  • A prepayment is required for a reservation.
  • Please use the PayPal link below to make the payment, according to the number of people in the group.
  • The check availability or get more information, please fill out the form below.
  • A cancellation of any experience once the booking is made will incur a 15% cancellation fee.
  • Any experience can be canceled at least 7 days before the experience starts and refunded 50%.
  • A cancellation received less than 7 days before the experience starts is non-refundable.

1 person

USD 30 / person
  • Bring a friend to unlock a group discount

2-10 people

USD 29 / person
  • 15 percent discount compared to 1-person rate

11-100 people

USD 28 / person
  • 15 percent discount compared to 1-person rate

What to Bring

  • Download Zoom for free on a desktop or mobile device. After you book, you’ll receive an email with a link and details on how to join.
  • Fast and stable internet connection (mobile 3G/4G connections not recommended)
  • A device with a camera and microphone so we can see and hear each other
  • A quiet room where you can sit comfortably

    Additional Notes

    • You’ll need an internet connection and the ability to stream audio and video to participate. A link and details on how to join will be included in your booking confirmation email.
    • This experience is best done in a comfortable and quiet part of your home because we will be practicing meditation together at the end.
    • This is a virtual experience.

    Meet Your Guide

    I was born in Singapore and worked across Asia on documentaries commissioned by Al Jazeera English. Then I came to Japan to read Political Science at Waseda University in Tokyo 9 years ago. Come on my experience to hear their stories, and forest bathe together with the sounds and images of nature that I have recorded at Fushimi Inari.

    Lee

    Customers reviews

    This is a beautiful, spiritual tour of places that most of us would never get to see any other way. The tour guide was wonderful and I would highly recommend this tour to anyone, especially anyone interested in nature, spirituality and meditation.
    Nancy
    This is a fantastic experience. Lee is a great storyteller and our group has learned so much about the Shinto ritual and different kinds of meditation we may try in a forest. I’d love to join Lee’s other experience and looking forward to see him offline in the future.
    Sybil
    The forest bathing experience (albeit a virtual one) was wonderfully curated by our host, Lee, to bring guests to some of Inari's shrines which are off-the-beaten-track. The highlight of the experience was listening to the personal stories shared by Lee (and which he'd gathered from the locals there) and him sharing his deep knowledge and passion for trees and nature. Lee took the effort to clearly elaborate and share all the details (big and small) as he walked us through his recording of the 'hike'. It was as though we were transported to the forest in Kyoto through Zoom. This has been a refreshing experience travelling through our minds, and I look forward to doing the actual experience in person when travel reopens!
    Weiwei
    Everything about this online experience was just great. Lee is a perfect narrator and knows exactly how to make people feel interested and entertained. He is extremely knowledgeable about Fushimi Inari, forest bathing and meditation and he knows really a lot about the city of Kyoto and Shinto traditions. He is very friendly, open and available and can easily make everyone feel eager to ask questions, interact, meditate. I highly recommend him to everyone interested in Japanese culture.
    Nicolò
    Book a Session

    For inquiry or reservation, please contact us.

    Advanced booking and prepayment are required.

    themindfultourist.net@gmail.com

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    Contact Us

    The Mindful Tourist networks with selected Forest Bathing guides around the world to offer you some very unique and authentic Forest Bathing experiences in some of the most beautiful places in the world.